High school girls basketball: Allie Molnar developed into invaluable leader for Kenston

When sophomore Michaela Barnes needed advice on how to play point guard for Kenston, she didn’t have to look far.
Barnes went to senior point guard Allie Molnar or Coach Kevin Hinkle, who was a point guard at Loudonville High School.
Hinkle’s guidance and Molnar’s leadership helped Barnes, a first-year starter, finish the season as the Bombers leading scorer with 11.3 points per game.
“Allie is a great leader,” said Barnes, who played with seven seniors this season. “She comes to practice ready to work every day. She plays hard and is always encouraging. She is always cheering everyone on. She picked us up this year when we were down and she gave us constructive criticism.
“I always looked to Allie on how to do things right. She always taught me the right way to do things. She was a great role model for me throughout the season.”
Hinkle, whose team finished the season 12-8, said Molnar will be missed next season.
“I have truly enjoyed coaching Allie and witnessing her develop from a young girl into a dynamic person and leader,” Hinkle said. “I cannot thank her enough for all her hard work and dedication to the program. I had a special relationship with her, especially since she was a point guard and will miss her presence everyday in the gym.”
Basketball is one of four sports Molnar has competed in at Kenston. She was a four-year starter in her primary sport of soccer. In her sophomore year, she added cross country as her second fall sport. After competing in basketball for four years, Molnar is beginning her fourth year in track this spring. When she graduates from Kenston, she will have 14 varsity letters.
“I think it is overlooked how athletic Allie is,” Hinkle said. “She has lettered in numerous sports in her high school career. As our point guard, she sacrificed individual statistics for the success of our team. Her stats can be deceiving because of how unselfish she is, but she is a tremendous athlete and basketball player.”
Molnar averaged 5.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.7 assists per game this season. Along with all of her sports, Molnar also maintained a 3.74 grade point average. She considered playing soccer at Mount Union or West Liberty (W.Va.), which both expressed interested, but decided to focus on her academics.
She plans to attend Ohio University, which her older sister Megan also attends.
“I went back and forth on whether or not to play sports in college or not,” Molnar said. “It kept me up at night. But once I figured it out, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was such a relief.”
While she will miss competing in high school sports in the fall, Molnar still plans to take the life lessons she learned with her to college.
“What you put into something is what you will get out of it,” she said. “If you put in a little, it will show. If you put in a lot, it will show.”
In the final basketball game of her high school career on March 29 at The News-Herald Classic, Molnar is looking forward to putting in a solid effort for the Blue team, which will be coached by Mayfield’s Tony Ware.
Hinkle has no doubt Molnar will deliver.
“Allie is the epitome of a leader,” he said. “She defines what a leader is in every sense. She is always willing to step up and take control of things on and off the court. She is the girl that every player can look to when decisions need to be made.”

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About the Author

Theresa spent the first 20 years of her newspaper career as a sports reporter. The Vermilion native graduated from Lorain Catholic High School and John Carroll University. She enjoys running, gardening and traveling. Top vacation spots have included Haiti, Italy, Spain and Turks and Caicos. Keep up with her thrifting adventures at whynotthrift.blogspot.com. Reach the author at tneuhoff@news-herald.com
or follow Theresa on Twitter: @Theresa_Neuhoff.